FACIENT TYPEFACES
As Mark Boulton rightly says, ‘’Typography is more than just fonts; it is expressing language through type, placement and composition.’’ Typography can be defined as the study of type, typefaces and type designs and the technique of their arrangement in a composition. It also deals with the art and science of composing text to make it legible, readable and pleasing. Arrangement of type involves, changing point size (size of the alphabet), width, kerning (letter space) and leading (line space) whereas typefaces are a created set of characters of a single size and style. Typefaces can be classified according to their appearance. The study and arrangement of these typefaces is known as typography.
According to their appearances, the typefaces are majorly identified into three categories:-
- · Roman type- This is further classified into serif, sans serif, ornamental, and script types.
Serif: The serif typeface gets its name for the features at the ends of their strokes. Times Roman and Garamond are common examples of serif typefaces. These fonts are commonly used in the printed materials including newspapers, magazines, etc., as the studies indicate that serif typefaces may be more readable in print.
Sans serif: The sans serif typefaces are the ones without the strokes called serifs. Sans serif fonts are commonly used for display typography such as signage, headings, and other situations demanding legibility and high readability.
Ornamental: These typefaces have a very distinctive design in each of its font. They are exclusively used for decorative purpose and possess a very little legibility.
Script: Script typefaces are an imitation of handwriting or calligraphy. They are used majorly in logos and invitations. Less readability leads to limited usage of this typeface.
- · Blackletter type- Blackletter was a script used in the Western Europe which is better known as the Old English. This typeface was used with the invention of the printing press.
- · Gaelic type
In my evaluation of typefaces, I would like to present a summary of comparisons between the serif and sans serif typefaces. I will be dealing with the characteristics of each and the way they alter typography and its interpretations. Understanding type classifications and anatomy will aid me in the process of choosing the most appropriate typefaces based on purpose and requirements of the brief.
Typography is used as a tool of persuasion and creates the first impression on a reader or a passer-by in terms of advertising and communication. Neville Brody quotes typography as "a hidden tool of manipulation within society". Different typefaces have different psychological impacts on the viewer depending on the way it is presented and this is what I would like to decipher to create a more commercially viable deliverable.
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